Most of the time the way I eat makes me very happy. I like feeling healthy and light. I never feel deprived or like I am sacrificing until the Holidays come. It gets dark early, it’s cold and temptations abound! It is only human to want a little comfort! It doesn’t take long for me to start telling myself that I have been so good for so long that just “a little sugar/gluten/dairy/etc won’t hurt”. That is kinda true (or so I hear). My problem is once I start eating a little sugar, I want more. And a little sugar has a way of creeping up to a whole lot!

But it is important to reward myself for being “good” so last weekend as a reward for resisting cookies, pumpkin pie, chocolate and cake, we decided to make a healthy dessert and go ahead and indulge.

I hesitate to post the recipe because it is not exactly healthy. Sure, the filling is absolutely healthy; the crust – not so much! Unfortunately, there is no way we could think of to make an edible fat-free or even low-fat crust. On the bright side this crust is light and flaky and tastes great! Just be advised that too much of it will give your poor gall bladder a real workout, so eat sparingly.*

We elected to use a gluten-free flour and baking mix since getting a precise mix is a challenge and we were looking for quick gratification. I know it is a cheat, but very worth it! The pie was a joint venture. David is the baker and pastry chef. I am the filling creator. Here is how it worked.

David’s Pie Crust

Place 3 1/2 cup Gluten-free Pamela’s Bread and Baking Mix in the food processor. (You can use others or make your own flour mix)

Add 1 cup coconut oil and pulse 6-8 times

Slowly add ice water one Tablespoon at a time — up to 1/2 cup water (use a little as possible). When you can pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together you have mixed enough

Remove the dough from the food processor by turning it out on to a piece of parchment paper

Scrunch the dough with your fingers to finish mixing the oil and flour

Gently shape the dough into 2 mounds (you may need to use a little extra flour on your hands to keep it from sticking)

Wrap each mound in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight

One hour before you want to use the dough, take it out of the refrigerator to warm up

Once the dough is slightly cooled roll it out using a rolling pin. Put each mound between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Roll it out to make as close to a circle as you can. Each mound should create about a 12 inches circle that is about 1/8 of an inch thick

Carefully transfer one circle into a 9 inch pie pan to use as the bottom crust

The remaining crust should be rolled out the same way and used as the top crust either domed over the top or cut into strips to create a lattice

Genene’s Apple Pie Filling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Core 8 Granny Smith apples (or other “sour” apples) do not peel

Slice the apples thinly – I used the food processor; cut each apple in quarters and ran them through using the slicing blade

Add lemon juice and toss the slices to prevent them from getting brown; you will have to use about 1/4 cup but this is very inexact!

Chop 1/2 of the apples into small pieces – I used the food processor and pulsed the slices 6-8 times to get a well chopped mix

Put 1/4 teaspoon (or less) coconut oil into a frying pan

Add 1 Tablespoon Honey or Agave Syrup and when the honey/syrup and oil are liquid add the sliced apples

Lightly sauté the apples and add your spices:

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir well and add 1 cup white grape juice and bring to a hard boil

Cook for 5-10 minutes until the apples are soft; if there is still a lot of grape juice add 1 Tablespoon coconut flour and stir constantly to thicken

Place cooked apples into bottom crust

Place the remaining raw apples over the cooked apples – you want the raw apples to stick up over the pan by about an inch

Place top crust over the apples

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes and then turn the heat to 325 and bake 1 hour until crust is brown

Delicious all by itself or add some cashew sour cream for an extra treat. I took one to a potluck and it got great reviews! Go ahead and indulge once in awhile, I mean, after all it is the holidays. . .

*If you want a really healthy alternative forget the crust. You can make the filling and bake it in a ramkin; eat it warm out of the oven drizzled with a little hazelnut or almond milk.

What is a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet

Food with little or not animal-based products such as eggs, dairy products, fish and meat

Food with little or no refined foods like white flour and white sugar

Food diet that is low in fats

About Genene

Whole Food Plant-Based Diet Nutrition Advocate, Counselor and Coach

As a totally recovered Rheumatoid Arthritis patient, a life-long vegetarian, proficient cook, amateur gardener, certified health and fitness consultant and life coach I use by education and experience to help you move towards a plant based diet.

I love helping people develop a plan for tasty, balanced and budget conscious eating.

Together we create a simple guide to planning, shopping, cooking and even growing great food. With your work and my experience and encouragement you easily make the transition to eating a plant based diet.